No matter how many years in making, every honest violin maker will tell you that their varnishing is a work in progress. We are always learning something new. It is encouraging to know that Stradivarius was also always trying new things during his lifetime as a violin maker. Like in any other skilled field, I took a professional development workshop with the aim of learning something different to broaden my perspective, understanding and methods. The varnishing workshop I took this month had seven other professional luthiers from the US, all meeting up in Ohio, USA. Here are some pictures from my week there. At the end of the week we all went away with a varnished violin that was dry, but needs final finishing done to it still.
